GB2129839A

GB2129839A - Lever to move open-end spinner to stop drive

Info

Publication number: GB2129839A
Application number: GB08329980A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John James Stamp
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-11-12
Filing date: 1983-11-10
Publication date: 1984-05-23
Also published as: GB8329980D0

Abstract

In an open-end spinner (16) a spinning box (11), comprising a door (17) over spinning rotor (45), is mounted on tubular slides (13) on a frame (15). The spinning box (11) as shown is in its operative position in which the door cannot be opened. In order to be able to move it quickly and easily to its inoperative, undriven, position it is provided with a pivotable lever (37) interconnecting an anchor bracket (26) and a connecting bracket (21). The connecting bracket is connected by one end to the existing hinge pin (18) of the door and by its other end to a U-shaped portion of the lever (37) to form a first hinge point. The anchor bracket (26) is disposed below the connecting bracket (21) and one end of the lever is connected thereto to form a second hinge point. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Over centre lever This invention relates to an over centre lever for actuation of a spinning box of open-end spinning apparatus between its operative and inoperative positions. More particularly the lever is intended to be used on Platt Saco Lowell Type 883 and 885 open end spinning machines.

The spinning box on which the lever of the invention is intended to be used usually comprises a housing containing one or more rotors which project from the rear of the housing and to which rotors access can be gained through a hinged door at the front of the housing. The housing itself is mounted on a frame which forms part of the spinning apparatus, for example by being bolted thereto.

The frame has two tubular slides on which the housing slides between an upper, operative position, where the spindle of the or each rotor contacts a drive belt, and a lower, inoperative position, where the spindle contacts two brake pads in a V-shaped arrangement.

Actuation of the housing between its upper and lower position on the frame is achieved by a piston driven by compressed air, the piston contacting the bottom of the housing.

Of course, in a spinning mill there will be a great number of spinning boxes each requiring its own individual piston. Therefore, this calls for a very elaborate compressed air system with an individual air pipe for each piston. Not only is this an expensive and complex arrangement but also operation of the pistons adds greatly to noise level in the mill.

Furthermore, there is a time delay between deactivation of the piston and the housing sliding from its operative to its inoperative position. This time delay is not great but it means that an operative cannot quickly gain access to the interior of the housing through the door. The door is normally connected to the base of the housing by means of a laterally extending hinge pin. The door cannot be swung open until the piston has been released.

An object of the present invention is to dispense with the need for a compressed-air piston and to provide means, which is simple and quick to operate, for movement of the housing of the spinning box between the operative and inoperative positions as aforesaid.

With this object in view, the present invention provides an over centre lever, for a spinning box, comprising a connecting bracket, secured to one part of the spinning box, an anchor bracket, connected to another part of the spinning box, and a lever arm connected to the connecting bracket and the anchor bracket such that its actuation will move the spinning box between its operative and inoperative positions.

Advantageously the connecting bracket is connected to the existing hinge pin for the spinning box's door and the anchor bracket is disposed therebelow and is secured to the spinning box by one of the bolts which secures the box to the spinning apparatus.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of an open-end spinning apparatus illustrating the mounting of its spinning box to which is attached a preferred embodiment of the over centre lever of the invention; Figure 2 is a front elevation of that part of the spinning apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1-; and Figure 3 illustrates, in perspective, three of the component parts of the preferred over centre lever.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 the preferred embodiment of the over centre lever 10 is used on a spinning box 11 which comprises a housing 1 2 mounted for vertical movement on two, spaced-apart, parallel tubular slides 13, 14, said tubular slides 13, 14 being part of a frame 1 5 which forms part of an openend apparatus. The spinning apparatus is denoted generally by the reference numeral 16.

As an explanation of the operation and construction of the spinning apparatus 1 6 is not essential to the understanding of the present invention, the spinning apparatus 1 6 will not be described in any detail. The front of the housing 12 2 is closed off by a door 1 7 hinged to the bottom of the housing 1 2 by means of a laterally extending hinge pin 18. The hinge pin is securely mounted relative to the frame 1 5 by means of two spaced-apart brackets 19, 20 upstanding from the bottom of the frame 15.

In order that the construction of the over centre lever 10 can be fully understood its three main component parts are illustrated separately in Fig. 3. Therefore in considering the following description reference should be made not only to Figs. 1 and 2 but also Fig.

3. The over centre lever 10 comprises a connecting bracket 21 in the form of a substantially U-shaped channel piece. Extending through each limb 22, 23 of the connecting bracket 21 are two circular holes. The holes of one limb 22 are in alignment with the holes of the other limb 23, so as to form a top pair of holes 24a and a bottom pair of holes 24b. The connecting bracket 21 is secured to the existing hinge pin 1 8 (Figs. 1 and 2) for the door 1 7 of the box 11 by means of left hand hinge slot 25 (with respect to Fig. 2) of the door 1 7 being larger than it normally is and the hinge pin 1 8 passing through the top pair of holes 24a of the connecting bracket 21 so that said bracket 21 is swingable on the hinge pin 18 in the hinge slot 25.The connecting bracket 21 is made of either brass or plastics so as to reduce considerably wear on the hinge pin 1 8 which, for example, can be made of mild or silver steel.

The over centre lever 10 also comprises an anchor bracket 26 in the form of a flat plate which is bent so that it has two vertical portions 27, 28 parallel to one another and interconnected by a horizontal portion 29 at right angles to the two vertical portions 27, 28.

One vertical portion 27 has a hole 30 by which the anchor bracket 26 can be firmly secured to the frame 1 5 by an existing frame bolt 31 (Fig. 2). The other vertical portion 28 has a U-shaped slot 32 at its free end forming two spaced-apart limbs 33, 34 which at their free ends each curve back in on themself to form a scroll 25, 36. The anchor bracket 26 is disposed below the connecting bracket 21 and is made, for example of spring steel.

Interconnecting the connecting bracket 21 and the anchor bracket 26, and forming part of the preferred over centre lever, is a lever arm 37. The lever arm 37 is in the form of a strip of metal, for example spring steel, which strip has a central portion 38 which is formed into a substantially closed U-shaped loop around a hinge pin 39 (Figs. 1 and 2) extending between the bottom pair of holes 24b of the connecting bracket 21 thereby forming a first hinge point for the lever arm 37. At one end 40 (i.e. that end which is remote from the end 41 (Figs. 1 and 2) by which the lever arm is gripped) the lever arm has a reduced portion 42 of a width slightly less than the width of the slot 32 of the anchor bracket 26.

The portion 42 is curved in on itself forming a scroll 43 and extends through the slot 32 in the vertical portion 28 of the anchor bracket 26. A hinge pin 44 (Fig. 1) extends across the slot 32 from scroll 35 to scroll 36 and the scroll 43 engages around the pin 44 in the slot 32 thereby forming a second hinge point for the lever arm 37.

The principle behind the lever 10 of the present invention is that its actuation imparts vertical movement, up and down on the tubular slides 13, 14 to the spinning box 11. In its operative position (which is the position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2) the housing 1 2 of the spinning box 11 is at a spacing from the bottom end, the frame 1 5 and the lever arm 37 is to all intents and purposes parallel with the box 11. The door 17 of the box 11 cannot be opened. Upon pulling of the lever arm 37 downwards away from the box 11 in an arcing movement there is leverage of the lever arm 37 between the connecting bracket 21 and the anchor bracket 26 which results in the spinning box moving 11 downwards on the tubular slides 13, 14 under its own weight. The door 1 7 can now be opened.

It will be appreciated that the distance between the connecting bracket and the anchor bracket is selected so as to obtain the most favourable leverage obtainable.

In the inoperative position of the spinning box 11, spinning rotor 45 contacts by way of its spindle 46 a pair of brake pads 47 in a Vshaped arrangement so that said rotor 45 is unable to rotate. The lever arm 37 has secured thereto a yarn cutter 48, with a Vshaped cutting groove 49, by means of which yarn drawn out of the rotor 45 through doffer tube 50 can be cut.

Claims

1. An over centre lever, for a spinning box, comprising a connecting bracket, secured to one part of the spinning box, an anchor bracket, connected to another part of the spinning box, and a lever arm connected to the connecting bracket and the anchor bracket such that its actuation will move the spinning box between its operative and inoperative positions.

2. A lever as claimed in claim 1 wherein the connecting bracket is in the form of a substantially U-shaped channel piece.

3. A lever as claimed in claim 2 wherein each limb of the connecting bracket has two circular holes, the holes of one limb being in alignment with the holes of the other limb so as to form a top pair of holes and a bottom pair of holes.

4. A lever as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein the connecting bracket is secured to the existing hinge pin for the spinning box door by means of the left hand hinge slot of the door being larger than it normally is and the hinge pin passing through the top pair of holes of the bracket so that the bracket is swingable on the hinge pin in the hinge slot.

5. A lever as claimed in claim 1 wherein the anchor bracket is in the form of a flat plate which is bent so that it has two vertical portions parallel to one another and interconnected by a horizontal portion at right angles to the two vertical portions.

6. A lever as claimed in claim 5 wherein one vertical portion of the anchor bracket has a hole by which it can be firmly secured to a frame for the spinning box by an existing frame bolt and the other vertical portion has a U-shaped slot at its free end forming two spaced-apart limbs which at their free ends each curve back on itself to form a scroll.

7. A lever as claimed in claims 5 or 6 wherein the anchor bracket is disposed below the connecting bracket and is made, for example, of spring steel.

8. A lever as claimed in claim 1 wherein the lever arm is in the form of a strip of metal, for example, spring steel, which strip has a central portion which is formed into a substantially closed U-shaped loop around a hinge pin extending between the bottom pair of holes of the connecting bracket thereby forming a first hinge point for the lever arm.

9. A lever as claimed in claim 8 wherein at that end of the lever arm which is remote from the end by which the lever arm is gripped the lever arm has a reduced portion of a width slightly less than the width of the slot of the anchor bracket, the reduced portion being curved in on itself forming a scroll and extending through the slot in the vertical portion of the anchor bracket.

10. A lever as daimed in claim 8 or 9 wherein a hinge pin extends across the slot in said vertical portion from scroll to scroll and the scroll of the reduced portion engages around the hinge pin in said slot.

11. A lever as claimed in claims 8 to 10 wherein the lever arm is provided with a yarn cutter.

1 2. An over centre lever substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.